Mouth of the Midwest

Our Zayd Hussein heads downstate Illinois from his nest in Chicago to report on Illinois & Michigan Saturday in Champaign/Urbana… his preview blog tomorrow right here.

The Guardians look gassed. Might be wrong but a sweep by the Yankees is on the horizon? 

Texas HAS to beat Georgia Saturday, right?  Love to see it and, better yet, a newbie from the Big 12 wins the SEC first year of membership. 

Giovanna Scroggins posted nice video of her drawing out an Oklahoma fan at the Cotton Bowl prior to Red River rivalry Saturday in Dallas. Check it out above …

Tonight: Yankees, Mets and Saints.

I would like to welcome the X Stream Sports station to the Sports Overnight America family!

You can check them out here

Special shout out to Shane Will!

The idea of sending out Kodai Senga as the Mets Game 1 starter was hare brained to say the least. Senga pitched all of 7 innings this season! 

The Mets might not recover from this horrible decision.

Army & Navy both nationally-ranked – wow! Both face Notre Dame in the NYC  metropolitan area this season. They’ll likely play each other two twice: American Athletic Title game and then the very next week /  December 14th/ in Washington, D.C.

Giovanna Scroggins weighs in on the reeling Dallas Cowboys today at 5:25p central.

Trending up: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just to name a few …

Iowa State at Utah 11/23 was looking huge… not so much now.

I’ll admit it: Dodgers -Yankees World Series would be incredible. And very expensive!

West Virginia vs Iowa State Post-Game Analysis by Zayd Hussein from Morgantown, West Virginia

In a thrilling showdown at Mountaineer Field, Iowa State seized control and quieted the crowd with two critical touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene twice in the second half.

The visiting fans erupted as Jontez Williams made a spectacular interception on West Virginia’s next drive, marking his third straight game with a pick. This gave Iowa State prime field position at the Mountaineers’ 34-yard line. As the home crowd’s energy began to wane, Hansen took the handoff and broke loose for a 20-yard run before plunging in for a 2-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-10 with just 4:42 remaining.

Hansen, the dynamic sophomore who had already found the end zone on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, finished with an impressive 96 rushing yards—just shy of his career-high set the previous week against Baylor.

Meanwhile, West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) struggled against Iowa State’s relentless defense, managing only 148 rushing yards after an eye-popping 389 the week before against Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were plagued by high snaps that disrupted their rhythm and a series of runs that went nowhere, unable to find their footing as the Cyclones effectively shut down the home crowd’s hopes, demonstrating their poise under pressure.

The Cyclones now move to 6-0 for the first time since 1938! Exciting times are ahead for this squad.

Sports Overnight America host Giovanna Scroggins at the Cotton Bowl drawing out an Oklahoma Sooner fan…

West Virginia vs Iowa State

by Zayd Hussein in Morgantown, West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineers (3-2) are poised for another upset as they welcome the No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones (5-0) on Saturday night. West Virginia has kicked off their Big 12 campaign with two impressive victories, taking down Kansas at home and securing a win against Oklahoma State on the road. Meanwhile, Iowa State remains unbeaten, coming off a commanding 43-21 victory over Baylor.

Aiming for a 6-0 start for the first time since 1938, the Cyclones enter this matchup as 3-point favorites and have successfully covered the spread in their last six road games. Quarterback Rocco Becht is riding high after delivering his best performance of the season against Baylor, where he threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Notably, he has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all but one game this year, showcasing his ability to lead a potent offense.

Recent history favors Iowa State, which has won four of the last five meetings between these teams. However, for the Cyclones to secure a road victory, their defense will need to step up, particularly against a West Virginia squad that leads the nation in fourth down conversions with 12 successful attempts.

This matchup promises to be a thrilling contest, likely decided in the closing moments. Both teams have shown offensive prowess, and while I’m hesitant to pick a side, I anticipate a high-scoring affair. I’m leaning towards the over, expecting plenty of fireworks on the field and tons of offensive success on both sides.

The NY Mets as has been stated here just look and feel like a team sprinkled with “Gold Dust”… the stars feel like they are aligning … 

Francisco Lindor is my MVP… love Ohtani – he will win it – but I want Lindor on my squad …

Wimbledon jettisoning line judges after 147 years … AI is here to stay.

Brock Hines will back me. Sunday watching the listless Jets in London you sensed the Jets were a team grounded with no wings. Firing Robert Saleh is the right move.

Yankee sluggers Judge, Soto and Stanton are due. Overdue!

Watch out …

Bears vs Panthers Post-Game

The Bears delivered an impressive performance on both sides of the ball, securing a decisive 36-10 victory over the Panthers on Sunday at Soldier Field.

After falling behind 7-0 following Chuba Hubbard’s 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, the Bears responded with 30 straight points. They headed into halftime with a commanding 27-7 lead and extended it to 30-7 early in the third quarter.

For the second consecutive game, the Bears showcased a well-rounded offense. Caleb Williams completed 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards, tossing two touchdowns without a turnover and achieving a passer rating of 126.2. D’Andre Swift contributed significantly with 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, along with two catches for 47 yards. DJ Moore was a standout receiver, making five catches for 105 yards, including two touchdown grabs of 34 and 30 yards.

This now makes 8 straight home victories for head coach Matt Eberflus. This Chicago Bears team is firing on all cylinders and now they set themselves up to be a real threat in the NFC North.

Cowboys vs Steelers Post-Game

After a nearly 90-minute weather delay and a touchdownless first half, the Dallas Cowboys edged the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17 on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”

The game concluded just after 1 a.m. Eastern, following storms that delayed kickoff. Despite dominating play, the Cowboys struggled with mistakes, including two interceptions and a fumble from quarterback Dak Prescott, two of which took place in the redzone.

In the fourth quarter, down 10-6, Prescott threw two touchdown passes, the first to Rico Dowdle for a 13-10 lead. After the Steelers regained the lead at 17-13, Prescott led a 15-play drive, recovering a fumble himself before throwing a four-yard touchdown to Jalen Tolbert on fourth-and-goal, clinching the victory in an absolute thriller.

Despite the horrible quarterbacking play out of Dak and lack of execution from the offense the Dallas Cowboys somehow found themselves ahead by the time the clock expired. While it wasn’t pretty and in what many called a must-win game, Dak and the boys got the job done.

Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers

The Bears remain home again this Sunday after a beautiful performance against the Rams. Last week, they managed to cover the spread as 3-point favorites in a 24-18 victory over Los Angeles, with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completing 17 of 23 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Veteran running back D’Andre Swift had an impressive game, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while leading the team with seven receptions for 72 yards.

Now, they’ll be up against a Carolina defense dealing with significant injuries, having lost both of their starting inside linebackers in a tough loss to Cincinnati. This leaves the Panthers exposed at that position, with Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus—who
have a combined total of just six tackles in their careers—set to start. The Bears should be able to run all over this Panthers defense. Chicago is currently on a seven-game home winning streak stretching back to last season and has triumphed in six of their last seven matchups at home against Carolina. I’m riding with the Bears again as my best bet for Week 5!

Official Pick Bears -4

Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh enters this matchup with a 3-1 record after a narrow 27-24 loss to the Colts, who were led by Joe Flacco. Before that game, the Steelers showcased a strong defensive performance, allowing just 26 points combined over their first three outings, but they faltered against Indianapolis in Week 4.

On the other hand, Dallas stands at 2-2 after a hard-fought 20-15 victory over the Giants on Thursday Night Football. However, they had previously suffered two straight losses to New Orleans (44-19) and Baltimore (28-25). While they have been more successful on the road this season, I anticipate they may struggle on both sides of the ball this Sunday night. The absence of Micah Parsons, one of the league’s top defensive players, will be a significant blow for the Cowboys. Additionally, losing Brandin Cooks, who has been placed on IR, compounds their challenges.

Given these setbacks for Dallas, I’m leaning heavily toward the Steelers in this matchup. I also see this as one of the most pronounced coaching mismatches of the year. Expect Pittsburg to dominate in primetime!

October Baseball!

Catch “First Touch” Soccer Podcast on IHeart Radio…

IVY LEAGUE SATURDAY 

Brown Stadium, Providence, Rhode Island  Brown Bears hosting the Bryant Bulldogs …

Salt Lake City Sports Radio is thrilled to announce they have entered into a content partnership with Sports Byline USA, to provide syndicated programming for the station.

SLC Sports Radio will broadcast one local program, The DINO COSTA Show, which will air from 1-6P, Monday through Friday, originating from the SLC Sports Radio studios in Salt Lake City – and providing the Salt Lake Valley with 30-hours of local and live programming each week.

The Sports Byline USA Network will provide programming around the clock in 19 of the other 24 broadcast hours each day and night – including all hours during the weekends – in the initial stages of SLC Sports Radio’s debut.

Sports Byline USA President Darren Peck is excited about bringing their brand of national content to Salt Lake City acknowledging the region’s deep love of sports by saying; “We’re thrilled to be bringing our lineup to Salt Lake City and joining forces with broadcast icon Dino Costa to bring great content to the fans there. The region’s appetite for sports is exploding and the timing of this launch couldn’t be better. Dino has been providing informative, entertaining and innovative sports talk for decades and we’ve been cheering for him all along the way. Our hosts include industry veterans and successful sports figures like Ron Barr, Brian Billick, Fred Dryer, Ron Cey, Rick Tittle, Marty Tirrell and more. All the best to Dino and their staff there and we couldn’t be more excited to get started!

Salt Lake City Sports Radio is located on the AM dial at frequency 1550. It will broadcast 10K watts with a daytime signal that will cover all of SLC – with a reach that goes as far south as Provo. The station will also stream all live and syndicated programming on the official station website ensuring the ability to listen anywhere and at any time.

SLC Sports Radio director of programming Dino Costa says; “Darren Peck is way too nice, but I’m more than appreciative of his thoughts and kind words. I’m blessed to be a part of this project, one that has had wheels in motion over the last 16-months with the objective of providing listeners of Salt Lake City with a viable alternative in the world of sports radio. This is a great community with people who love their sports. There is a vision that is evident with many here who understand that Salt Lake City is not only growing, but is a city and a region just now starting to realize its full potential. We’re more than happy to be a part of it, and we look forward to providing an outlet and a platform that is uniquely situated as an independent radio station serving as the voice of the people. I want to thank Darren Peck and Sports Byline USA for their faith in us.  I welcome them to Salt Lake City, while also thanking the many who have been on the air over the years here in SLC before us – including those who are currently on the air – and are our on-air colleagues of today.”